Ford Cuts U.S. Production of Cars, Crossovers and Pickups

Ford Motor Co. says it will temporarily idle one of its F-150 pickup truck plants and three other factories that make cars and small crossover vehicles to help align U.S. supply with cooling growth in demand.

The actions, which affect Ford’s best-selling models, will furlough about 13,000 workers, including 4,000 in Mexico.

Production will stop for one week at Ford’s F-150 plant in Kansas City, Mo. The F-150 is America’s top-selling vehicle, and demand for the trucks rose 6% through the first nine months of this year. But dealer supplies of unsold models are at 95 days, more than 50% greater than normal.

Ford also will idle its Ford Escape and Lincoln MKC small crossover factory in Louisville, Ky., for two weeks between now and early November. Sales for both models has kept pace with the slowing growth rate of the U.S. market overall, according to Autodata Corp.

Finally, the company will halt production at two plants in Mexico: its Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ sedan facility in Hermosillo and its Ford Fiesta small-car factory in Cuautitlan. Autodata says U.S. sales of all three of those models fell in January-September.